


Soldiers and Friends

by Soomanyfandomswhy



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: ALL the issues, Apologetic!Rhodey, Au-slight divergence, BAMF!Rhodey, Cuddling & Snuggling, No set relationships, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, So is Rhodey, Tony Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony is my baby, and he gets it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2018-12-27 11:58:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12080613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soomanyfandomswhy/pseuds/Soomanyfandomswhy
Summary: When James “Rhodey” Rhodes is on leave, all he wants to do is to hang out and cuddle with his best friend. Now however, he finds out that the "Avengers" living in Tony's tower have a problem with Tony, and that it’s making Tony look like he’s back in college. Well, Rhodey’ll just have to help them lose said problem, won’t he?In which Rhodey is a bear, Tony needs to relax, and the team is made up of footballers and cheerleaders.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! So as promised, I've edited and posted with the help of my betas, [@anarchx-kestrel](https://anarchx-kestrel.tumblr.com/) and [@thunder-the-great](https://https://thunder-the-great.tumblr.com//), so I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1: 

Lt. Colonel James Rhodes soars through the sky in the War Machine armor and touches down on Stark Tower's landing pad.

"Welcome home, Colonel Rhodes.  Sir is currently in a meeting with Director Fury. Shall I inform him of your arrival?" JARVIS greeted.

He hums and ambles down the hallway, thinking over his answer, and finally says, "If he's in a meeting with Fury, you and I both know that telling him I'm here means that he'll ditch in a heartbeat. I'll just shower and start up dinner; God knows he won’t eat if it’s up to him."

There's more than a hint of amusement in the “Indeed Sir” that comes, and James lets out an amused huff, still in awe of Tony's son. The black ceramic vase that Pepper had arranged on the coffee table had been replaced sometime while he'd been gone, and it's easy to imagine it meeting its untimely demise in an experiment. Then again, the last time he was here, the Battle of New York had just taken place, and all he’d cared about was finding Tony. He still maintains that watching Tony fly through the portal is the most terrifying experience he's ever had, and watching the battered suit fall out of the closing portal the most harrowing. Because Tony's connection to JARVIS had died on his way through the portal, James was left with the uncertainty of not knowing whether or not Tony was even alive after being caught by the Hulk. He'd pushed through it then, a mantra of "He's alive, he's okay, he has to be" driving him faster and faster until he was pushing the limits of the suit. He'd finally touched down in front of the goddamn  _ Shawarma _ restaurant where Tony was sitting and pretending to eat. The crushing relief he'd felt in that moment had nearly brought him to his knees, and only willpower had kept him standing. Tony might have tried to put on a cavalier attitude and sail forth, but to James, the lines of fear and exhaustion were clear on his face. James still can't remember how he'd gotten out of the suit, only that he'd ended up holding Tony in his arms, reassuring himself that his little brother in all but blood was still alive and with him. JARVIS's voice jolts him from the memories. He drags a hand down his face and, in a (hopefully) even voice, apologizes to JARVIS. 

"I'm sorry JARVIS, I missed that. What did you say?"  

"I asked if you wanted me to add anything to the grocery list, Colonel."

JARVIS's voice is tinged with more than a bit of worry, and James rushes to assure him. "I'm good JARVIS, I know I can trust your judgment- wait. Actually, can you add in a packet of those cheesy chips that Tony likes? And a box of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce?"

"Of course Colonel. Anything else?"

"No, that's it." His voice sobers and solemnly, he adds, "Thank you, JARVIS."

* * *

 

By the time James hears Tony step out of the elevator, dictating changes to his list, the pasta on the stove is bubbling and the heady aroma of the fried chicken fills the kitchen. Suddenly, the din he associates with the whirlwind that is Tony stops, and James still at its absence. But when he peeks his head around the door, all he sees is a tired Tony, looking completely lost. His heart clenches, and a near physical  _ need  _ to wipe that look off of Tony’s face jolts him into action, so he walks out of the kitchen and grins. "Hey, Tones! I'm home!"

He watches the joy and quickly hidden relief dawn on Tony's face before his little brother beams and slams into him for a hug.

"Rhodey! Why are you here? Not that I don't want you here, cause I obviously do, but how?! I thought you said you didn't get leave for another week at least."

James holds onto Tony, grimly cataloging the ribs he can feel from the too-thin form in his arms, loosening his too-tight hold, and smothering his worry before answering, "I got out early cause I  _ finished _ the assignment early, Tones. But now, all I want to do is sit down, eat dinner, and talk with you before falling face first into bed. I’m exhausted. Go change out of your suit and wash your hands so we can eat. I made us Chicken Milanese."

He gently pushes Tony out of his arms and in the direction of his room and walks into the kitchen, listening for the sound of Tony's slow shuffle across the carpet to cut off with the the click of his door. He then turns to face the cupboards, forces himself to uncurl his hands from the tight fists he’d made, and  _ breathes _ . It’s almost like he’s been thrown back in time to  _ The Dark Days,  _ when he and Tony’d been working their asses off, writing their thesis papers and James’d had to set alarms to drag Tony out of his lab to fulfill their basic human needs. Tony would drink coffee by the pot if he wasn’t stopped, and as the only person with him who’d cared, it had been James’s duty to stop him. Unfortunately, James was also working on his own paper and they’d both lost at least twenty pounds. His mama had been horrified when she saw them, and had taken it as her personal mission to feed them back up. "What happened to him, JARVIS? I know he's got projects and shit to do, but he looks like he's been running himself ragged. I thought Pepper becoming CEO would lessen his workload, not  _ increase _ it!"

"I apologize, Colonel, I had forgotten that Sir has not yet informed you of his 'mutual breakup' with Ms. Potts." He continues, ignoring the muttered, "Damnit Tony. Why didn't you tell me?"  

"However, I do not believe his sorrow and attempts to bury himself in his work are not the only contributors to his exhaustion." Here, he hesitates quite uncharacteristically, and normally James would let it go, but right now? Right now he needs to know what's causing his little brother to look this drained. He pushes, "JARVIS?"

"I believe the Avengers are the main reason, Colonel. Ever since their arrival to the Tower and Ms. Potts' resulting departure, Sir has thrown himself into his work and attempts to foster a sense of camaraderie with them, but they hold negative attitudes towards him, and I believe that this is yet another cause of Sir's stress."

"Thank you, JARVIS. Tony thinks they're all right about him, as always, doesn't he? That's probably why he hasn't said anything to me. Well. It doesn't matter. If their conduct is hurting Tony, I'll just have to adjust them."

* * *

 

James is plating the sauce, pasta, and chicken when Tony comes back, dressed in a large, soft, grey hoodie with sleeves that hang past the tips of his fingers and a pair of black pajama pants with little R2-D2s stamped all over it. He’s pretty sure the hoodie is his and Tony stole it from him before the first time he'd left for training.  He sets the plates down on the table, sits down, and waits for Tony to join him, eating and biding the time for his subtle interrogation to begin. Tony eats a few bites, and as he's twirling his fork to pick up pasta, James asks, "So, Tones. I didn't know you invited the team to live in the Tower? How are they?" 

In a futile attempt to dodge the question, Tony slowly saws the chicken into pieces and takes a large bite, attempting to stall as long as possible once he realizes the question isn't going away. "Um, you know, I had the reconstruction plans for the tower adjusted to fit them in, after New York. And the team’s the team. They're good. We don't sit around braiding each others’ hair and talking about our feelings, like girls, shit- don’t tell Pep I said that-" 

"Uh-huh." James cuts him off after watching him gear up for an impressive ramble, one that’s designed to lose others trying to follow along. "And how's Captain Rogers?"

"Obviously he's great, honeybear! He's the symbol of everything American: life, liberty, and the absolute denial of change. He doesn't like apple pie though! Isn’t that weird? I always thought he’d like apple pie. I mean, come on, who doesn’t? Um- yeah. Anyway, he's good- we’re good, you know." 

Here he shrugs awkwardly, trying to downplay his babble, and James looks at Tony's downturned head and subdued words and calls bullshit. He's familiar with Tony's particular brand of lyin g and evasion, and right now his tells are so blatant they're practically smacking him in the face.

"Oh, _do_ you now?" James can guess he's taken a rather dangerous tone of voice and his eyes are probably gleaming murderously, but he can't help it. Tony is his little brother, and he's been protective of him ever since they first met.

"Rhodey?" 

Tony peeks up at him with big brown eyes,  _ Bambi eyes,  _ his mother had called them, and he tries to calm himself. Tony's not fifteen and trying to convince James the giant bruise on his side appeared because he'd " _ just tripped _ -".

Come to think of it, this train of thought isn't helping him calm down at all. Tony’s an adult now, and could handle Captain America and the rest of the Avengers by himself, and  _ screw it. _ They were all going  _ down _ . His revenge will make the Avengers rue the day they’d decided hurting Tony was okay. It’ll be ten times worse than the time he'd made the football players and cheerleaders’ lives utter hell after they made Tony cry. After all, Tony’s ‘Rhodey’ would  _ always _ have his back. 

“Fine, Tones, I’m fine,” he states trying to keep a stoic face and failing, judging by the cautious look Tony’s giving him. “I just realized that I really want to meet your team.  _ Especially _ , Captain America.”


	2. Chapter 3

Steve entered the lobby of the tower after his morning run, breathing heavily, and registered what looked like Stark talking to nobody? - wait, no, kibosh that, his enhanced hearing could pick up the buzz of some small electronic object in his ear, something like those little "communication devices" that Director Fury had worn on the Helicarrier.

Stark stood in front of the general office elevator, responding to whomever he was speaking to on the "communication device", with, "Yeah, yeah honeybear. Yes, I'll even act like like I'm listening to the old bastards whine about how I'm doing everything wrong- no. You couldn't pay me enough to pretend they're interesting. Why'd you have to make do this? It's abuse. Pepper could have handled them without me. I could've just stayed and shown you all the new updates for the armor, but noo. You have to be responsible. If  I have to be in meetings all day, then I'll just text you, okay? Yeah, in the meeting. Obviously. When else could I be talking about? Yeah, mhmm-" Stark stepped into the glass elevator, and the rest of his words cut off as it closed around him.  

The way Stark spoke about the meetings he had to be _forced_ to attend showed that he obviously didn't care about anything other than himself, and Steve could bet that Stark had never done an honest day's work in his life. Men like him never did. It was disgusting, how he had tried to buy the respect of the team by inviting them to stay in the tower. He had no respect for others, and Steve couldn't believe Director Fury had allowed him to work with the team. At least he was only a consultant and not an actual Avenger.


	3. Chapter 3

After sending Tony off to his meetings, James stood in front of the dining table in the Penthouse. "Okay JARVIS. Let's see what we've got." James stretched his arms over his head and watched as JARVIS displayed five hologram screens containing each of the team's members names and profiles.

"As you can see, I've compiled information on each of the members, both from SHIELD and what I have observed. I have also gathered footage of their interactions with Sir and one another, both in and out of battle."

JARVIS continued speaking as the information on the screens scrolled down, "The calculated statistics show that there is an eighty-five percent difference in their interactions with one another and those with Sir. After analyzing the footage, I have found that these discrepancies lie in their speech, body language, and actions. While they treat one another with respect and camaraderie, they refuse to do so with Sir. There is a trend in Captain Rogers and Agents Romanov and Barton in snubbing Sir's company using either sarcastic or stilted speech and hostile body language. They have also been involved in many team building activities, none of which during they have requested Sir's presence. Sir has also been threatened by Agent Romanov, but Sir forbade me from taking action against her, citing that she was correct and that he was being too intrusive, as well as many other things, all of which were incorrect statements. The team seems to believe Agent Romanov's report and whatever footage SHIELD has used to vilify Sir-Colonel are you alright? Your blood pressure is rising, and you seem to be hurting the palms of your hands. Shall I stop?"

James could only breathe as each word he listened to fanned the flames of his rage and looking down, he detachedly noticed that his knuckles were white with stress. 'Huh', he thought, 'letting go would probably be a good idea.' He unclenched his fists, stretched out his hands and gestured for the report to continue.

"I'm alright JARVIS, I need to hear this all together before I go down to the gym and destroy a few targets and punching bags. Please continue."

"Of course, Colonel. In contrast to this, Sir spends seventy percent of his time in the workshop improving their 'gadgets' and creating new ones- only to have them taken without a word of thanks. While on the battlefield, if Sir suggests deviations to the plan according to the data I have given him, he is summarily ignored, and once Sir is forced to risk his life to save civilian lives or prevent property damage, he is only criticized during the debriefing. If he does not attend the debrief due to medical reasons or because the armor has been damaged and is in need of repair, Captain Rogers finds it in himself to come down to the Workshop and harangue him there. As you know, Sir does not trust SHIELD with the arc reactor and as such, he refuses to allow their medics to attend and possibly harm him. Captain Rogers seems to believe that Sir is doing this out of arrogance or simply to disobey him. Their presence and negative notions regarding Sir upsets him, and I will be pleased once they are gone."

James took a deep breath, and since that didn't work, took another one. He felt ready to kill someone- or rather- several someones, but he reminded himself that this should be approached with a pre-mission mindset. They thought Tony was- what was it that Romanov had written when she infiltrated Tony's company while he was  _dying_?  _Oh yes_ , "a volatile, self-obsessed, narcissistic playboy"? He'd make them regret hurting Tony, and he'd make sure that they knew it was all him and not Tony who was behind it. They would either see the light and stop polluting Tony's home with their remarks, or they'd leave. It was as simple as that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I am so sorry that it took me this long to post! I was really busy with school, had 2 100 point projects and 2 essays in AP Euro, plus tests in all my other classes! Also, for some reason, Rhodey and Steve absolutely refuse to meet each other. It might be because Steve is terrified of Steve LOL. :P Anyway, thanks for reading, and I would absolutely love some helpful critique! Cheers!❤❤


	4. Apologies for the not actual update but,

Let me start this out by saying you are all the kindest individuals I have ever known or had the pleasure of conversing with. Thank you for your kudos and reviews. That being said, I am  **so** sorry that you had to read the complete and utter garbage that I posted.  **Important:** I am  **not** abandoning this story, or putting it on hiatus. All I will be doing is editing and rewriting each chapter from the ground up. As this is a WIP, you can probably expect an edited chapter per day until we reach the actual Chapter 5(because then I'm just writing), barring any unforeseen circumstances. Hopefully, all will be well. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my [Tumblr!](https://sassassin256.tumblr.com/)


End file.
